Sunday, November 2, 2014

Former Pittsburgh Pirates closer, Matt Capps signed a card for our set. Matt was selected to play in the 2010 All-Star game while he was a member of the Washington Nationals. Matt's last big league appearance came in 2012 with the Twins.I remember Matt best for being one of those cheap closers you could pick up in the late rounds for your fantasy baseball team.# 201 - Matt CappsProgress: 526/990

Sunday, October 26, 2014

Hey it's Gregor Blanco! You may remember him from the 2014 NL Champion San Francisco Giants. Gregor has been a staple in the Giants outfield for the past three seasons.I picked up his signed 2008 Topps card from a friend on SportsGraphing.com last year.# 468 - Gregor BlancoProgress: 525/990

Sunday, October 19, 2014

Edgar was with the Diamondbacks for parts of six seasons. This was during a time when I wasn't really following the team closely. He started 35 games and had an ERA just under 6.I was surprised to see that Edgar is still playing. In 2013 he made 8 appearances while splitting time with the Astros and Blue Jays.I bought this card from a friend on SportsGraphing.com well over a year ago.# 477 - Edgar GonzalezProgress: 524/990

Saturday, October 18, 2014

Wow a lot has happened since my last blog post.I went to 15 Diamondbacks games this year. The D-Backs lost in 13 of them.Daniel Hudson came back from his second Tommy John surgery and looked pretty good out of the bullpen.The Diamondbacks fired Kirk Gibson and hired Chip Hale.The Royals made the World Series.Over the past few months I haven't bought many baseball cards. Maybe a blaster of Topps Heritage and a few random singles off eBay but that's it. I think I just got burnt out.Recently I started reading everyone's blogs again and I figured it was time for me to return. The posts might be sporadic but I'm back.

Monday, March 17, 2014

It's March 17th and I haven't blogged all month. Yikes!There's been a lot of other things vying for my attention lately and blogging has taken a back seat.I've got a stack of new stuff to scan and a photobucket full of cards already scanned.I'll be back soon!

Sunday, February 23, 2014

I spent most of last week driving around the valley going to different Spring Training sites. I found myself near a Goodwill store and decided to go in. To my surprise they had this Andrew Bogut Milwaukee Bucks bobblehead for a dollar. I'm not sure how it ended up in Phoenix but it's now mine.

Sunday, February 16, 2014

Man, I've been procrastinating on blog posts again. Since my last post I've been to a D-Backs autograph event, Fan Fest, and a spring training practice. I guess those are three pretty good excuses for not blogging.

The day before Fan Fest, I met up with Daniel from It's Like Having My Own Card Shop to get a few autographs. You can check out what he got here. We had a good time.The next morning was D-Backs Fan Fest. It was also the preregistration sale for San Diego Comic Con badges. I chose to try my luck at SDCC badges instead of getting to Fan Fest early. I failed miserably.

We got down to Chase Field later than I would have liked. The day wasn't lost because I was able to score autograph tickets for the afternoon autograph sessions during the online sale which took place on Friday.My son and I got autographs from Miguel Montero, Addison Reed, Randall Delgado, and Alan Trammell at the regular autograph tables. We also hit up the alumni signing at the Game Seven Grill and got Brandon Webb, Shea Hillenbrand, and Augie Ojeda to sign a few cards. Afterward we checked out the last session for the kids' tables. We got Brad Ziegler, Dave McKay, and Daniel Hudson. There was no line for Huddy so I was able to talk to him for a minute. He gave me an extra Fan Fest 5x7 plus the one for my son. Thanks, Daniel!They set a record for attendance so the lines for the games and other kids stuff were extremely long. We didn't get to do quite as much as we would have liked but that's okay. All in all it was a great time.

Saturday, February 8, 2014

Hey everybody! Today is the Diamondbacks Fan Fest. This is the seventh year in a row I'll be going. The past two years my wife and son have joined me. Hopefully we'll have a good time and I'll come home with some stuff to post about.

Thursday, February 6, 2014

I already have three versions of this Acclaimed Impressions card but I couldn't pass up an opportunity to get one more. This is the gold version of Daniel Hudson's 2011 Topps Marquee card. It features two patches (from a White Sox jersey) and a sticker autograph. Oh and the best part is it's numbered to 5 on the front. This is my lowest serial numbered Huddy autograph so far.

Sunday, February 2, 2014

Yah I know that was super lame but I wanted to do a separate post for each of these cards.

I've been working on this project for awhile. I posted the first letter "D" way back in November 2011. Since then I've slowly been collecting the others. The final letter "U" was part of my COMC Black Friday purchase. I was pretty excited when it arrived. It's good to finally have this one completed.

Saturday, February 1, 2014

I picked up this certified
autograph of Lance Cormier from the 2006 Topps set as part
of my COMC Black Friday purchase.

When I think of Lance Cormier I remember him with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. I didn't realize he was drafted by and made his MLB debut for the Diamondbacks. Over parts of two seasons Lance was used mostly out of the bullpen but he did make five starts.

I picked up this certified
autograph of Felix Rodriguez from the 1998 Donruss Signature Series set as part
of my COMC Black Friday purchase. I've never been able to say no to a 1998 Donruss Signature card. It doesn't get any better.Felix was acquired by the Diamondbacks in a trade with Cincinnati after the 1997 Expansion Draft. He would only spend one season in Arizona appearing in 43 games and recording 5 saves.

Thursday, January 30, 2014

Dang! This card is sweet. I liked the regular versions of these die-cuts from the 2012 Bowman Platinum set but the certified autos are even better. Sure it's a sticker auto but I can overlook that since its numbered 12/25 on the front. Another great addition to our Daniel Hudson collection.

Think you've seen this Daniel Hudson gold border parallel card on our blog before? Nope. That was the regular sized gold border parallel. This is the mini. It's little and is numbered 62/62 on the back. eBay 1/1!!!

The gold border parallel is the classic parallel. It's where it all started and just has a royal feel to it. Like if Prince Henry had a baseball card collection, I'm sure he would just own gold border parallels.

Wednesday, January 29, 2014

A coworker who sits at a cubicle near mine is moving to a new area of our building. While packing up her belongings she decided it was time to downsize some of the miscellaneous things she had acquired over the years. This Brandon Webb bobblehead was one of the items up for grabs. I didn't have it so I was glad to take it home.

This was a stadium giveaway from 2007 and commemorates Webb winning the Cy Young award the year prior.

Tuesday, January 28, 2014

When I bought this 2013 Panini Cooperstown Green Crystal Parallel I thought it was the final parallel I needed. It turns out there's an orange one too. There doesn't seem to be one available anywhere right now so I guess I'll have to be patient.

Here's another card we picked up as part of our COMC Black Friday purchase. I like how this parallel of Luis Aparicio's 2007 UD Masterpieces card is described as "windsor green" not just "green." Classy.

Sunday, January 26, 2014

I remember hearing an interview with Ben Broussard on MLB Network Radio last Spring. He had just finished playing winter ball in Mexico and was trying to make a comeback. It took a while but he reemerged in the Atlantic League later that summer. A friend on SCN helped us out by getting this 2008 Topps card signed for us.

I've been a fan of Ben's since he played in the Arizona Fall League back when he was the Reds top prospect. I wish him the best in his comeback and musical career.

Thursday, January 23, 2014

The design for the 2012 Topps Triple Threads set was great. Nice and simple with decent sized jersey swatches and an on card autograph. Almost perfect, right? I think so. I just wished they scanned better. That foilyness just doesn't come across well digitally.

This is Daniel Hudson's green parallel from the set. It's numbered 30/50 on the front. This is the third version of this card in our collection.

I've always liked minor league team sets. While I don't have a minor league team close by I've been able to pick up a few sets online or when traveling.

I found this Daniel Hudson card from the 2009 Kannapolis Intimidators team set for a great price. In fact the seller had a lot of three of the same card listed for a price I would have gladly paid for just one.

When I googled "Daniel Hudson Kannapolis Intimidators" an interesting article from Jonathan Mayo from MLB.com came up. He has a nice breakdown of Daniel's first season in pro baseball. It chronicles his journey from single a all the way to Chicago in just a few months. You can check that out here.

Wednesday, January 22, 2014

AJ from The Lost Collector sent over a few cards including this Daniel Hudson from the 2012 Topps Sticker Collection. I had seen packs of these stickers at the store before but never bought any. They're pretty cool. Thanks, AJ!

Tuesday, January 21, 2014

Here's another nice pickup from our COMC Black Friday purchase. This Luis Aparicio card is from the 2012 Leaf Memories Originals set. It's numbered to 99 on the front and only set me back 91 cents. A nice deal for a nice card with a classic 90s design.

Monday, January 20, 2014

Spiegel from Nomo's Sushi Platter sent over a package full of awesome Diamondbacks cards. There were way to many to scan everything but here are a few of my favorites.

Oh yah! Three new Daniel Hudson cards. It's hard to tell in the scan but the Chrome is a refractor. It's out shined by the Lineage anniversary parallel. That's not just any Gypsy Queen parallell. It's a Straight Cut back.

Spiegel came up with about twenty different parallels that I didn't have. Here are three of my favorites.

One reason I always like getting trade packages is to see what kind of older, random D-Backs you guys have lying around. Steve Sparks! Turner Ward! Awesome! Todd Stottlemeyer's not bad either. All new to our collection.

Of course anything 2008 Topps is always welcome around here too.

My favorite card in the package is this Justin Upton SP from the 2012 Topps set. I love the picture of him celebrating with the fans after the D-Backs clinched the Western Division in 2011.

Sunday, January 19, 2014

A friend from SCN helped us out last season with this signed Josh Barfield 2008 Topps card for our set. Josh signed it before a Long Island Ducks game. I remember when Josh was the Padres top prospect. He last appeared in the big leagues with the Indians in 2009. Since then he's bounced around with a few organizations and has played in the Atlantic League.

Saturday, January 18, 2014

I picked up this certified autograph of Andy Green from the 2005 Leaf Autographs set as part of my COMC Black Friday purchase.

After putting up some big numbers in AAA, Andy was called up to the Diamondbacks in 2004. He got 109 at bats in 46 games but never really got going. He found himself back in the minors for most of 2005 and won the Pacific Coast League's MVP award. Unfortunately he didn't do much at the big league level.

Andy is currently the manager of the D-Backs Double A team, the Mobile BayBears.

Thursday, January 16, 2014

Ah another 2013 Topps Daniel Hudson card. This one is the pink border parallel from the mini set. Nice and pink and numbered 03/25 on the back. It's hard not to like anything that's numbered to 25 or less.

Tuesday, January 14, 2014

When I was doing my Black Friday shopping on COMC this was a must add. For only $1 I took home this 1960 Topps World Series Highlights card of Luis Aparicio. It came with the warning that it was in poor to fair condition. Well that was no secret because you could see plenty of creasing and damaged corners in the scan. Sometimes a perfect card is great but this one has lots of character and I love it. That was the best dollar I've spent in a long time.

Each year I always look forward to the new Topps Heritage set. In addition to the classic designs used for the base set they have great inserts. This Luis Aparicio Stadium Seat relic card from the 2008 Topps Heritage set is no exception. The best part is it commemorates Luis and the White Sox winning the AL pennant in 1959.

I picked this one up as part of my COMC Black Friday purchase for just under $4. It was one of the more expensive cards I bought that day but it's been on my want list since it was originally released.

Sunday, January 12, 2014

I had a great idea this morning. I was going to go to the swap meet. After seeing other bloggers find cool stuff at their local thrift stores and flea markets I wanted to give it a shot too.

I hadn't been to a swap meet in many years and didn't know what to expect. There were tons of people selling new hats, beauty products, and cell phone accessories. I was also surprised to find several dealers selling only underwear. New items I think.

I only found one booth that had something that interested me. One guy had a table with some newer Star Wars action figures, an unopened 1994 Chad Curtis Kenner Starting Lineup figure, and a Dan Haren bobblehead.

After a tough negotiation I brought home the 2009 D-Backs stadium giveaway for $5.

I first remember hearing of Neal Cotts when he was a prospect for the Oakland A's. After he made the big leagues with the White Sox, he spent a few years in their bullpen. He was part of the 2005 team when the Sox won the World Series. Before the 2007 season he was traded to the Cubs and never really had much success. Some injuries set him back for the next few years. After not pitching in a big league game for nearly four years he returned to the mound for the Rangers last season. He did pretty well and ended up pitching in 58 games for Texas.

Neal signed his card from the 2008 Topps Chicago Cubs 55 card team gift set for us via from a mail request last season.

Saturday, January 11, 2014

I wasn't able to get an autograph from Diamondbacks prospect Chris Owings last year during Spring Training so I sent him a request in the mail. After the season ended, my 2011 Topps Pro Debut card came back signed in blue Sharpie.

After posting some decent numbers during his cup of coffee at the end of last season, Chris will enter Spring Training this year in a battle with Didi Gregorius for playing time at shortstop.

Thursday, January 9, 2014

Topps through in yet another parallel in their 2103 factory sets. This time it's an orange border parallel numbered to 230. Of course I had to get the Daniel Hudson one for myself.

You may remember the rainbow I was working on. If not, you can check it out here. Way back in mid-April I thought I was basically done with all of the parallels. Topps fooled me. I'm still searching for the Opening Day purple and a few of the minis. When I find those I'll do an updated rainbow post.

Whoa! I had been hunting this Daniel Hudson bat card from the 2013 Topps Museum Collection for awhile. I finally pulled the trigger and landed this one numbered to 30. There's a few different numbering sequences with this set but they all basically look identical. It's the first jumbo relic of any type that I have in my collection.

I like that Topps chose to use a picture of Daniel hitting for this bat card. Even though his left arm and bat are completely cropped at least you can see the 2011 All-Star game patch on his right sleeve. This easily becomes one of the coolest Daniel Hudson cards we have.

Wednesday, January 8, 2014

I picked up this Tyler Skaggs auto from the 2013 Topps Chrome set before he was traded to the Angels.

Even though his time with Arizona is done, I hope Tyler has a great career. He should have a good chance at cracking the Angels rotation out of Spring Training. Hopefully he'll live up to his potential out in California.

Tuesday, January 7, 2014

I'm trying to fill in some of the missing vintage Luis Aparicio cards we need. I saw this 1957 Topps card and had to have it. It has great centering, great corners and no creases. I don't mind a little damage but this one looked so great I knew it was coming home with me.

Fresh off the Rookie of the Year award, Luis led the league in stolen bases in 1957 for the second time in as many years.